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Umphrey’s Confirms Details for UM Bowl Quarters

Umphrey’s McGee have revealed the themes for each quarter of this year’s UM Bowl. UM Bowl—which will take place at Park West in Chicago on April 26—is an interesting Umphrey’s tradition that is currently in its fourth year. The event is setup like a football game (sort of), with the band playing four “quarters,” each with a different concept behind them. You can check out the details for this year’s quarters below. UM Bowl IV has already sold out, so tickets are unavailable.

UM Bowl IV

Q1:
Ah . . . Jimmy Stewart. How much you’ve given all of us through the years. Raw Stewage returns for a second year. UMBowl IV kicks off with an entire set of your favorite pieces of improv stitched together to create a long-form piece of new music. Ticket buyers will vote on their favorite live moments, and the band will take those legos and assemble them into one tidy package for Q1. Prepare thyself.

Q2:
The evening rolls along with the ever popular All Request Quarter. All ticket buyers receive a ballot to vote for the songs you would most like to hear, from rarer UM tunes to alternate versions of “the hits” to classic covers. We’ve opted to add a heavy “Special Teams” element to the ballot this year so you’ll have access to a deeper playbook. Expect more solo, duo, and trio options than you’ve ever experienced, featuring UM staples, curveballs, debuts, and more. As in the past, there will also be a write-in category for you to submit your own requests.

Q3:
Q3 is a Stew Art Event, an S2. This one of kind Umphrey’s innovation returns to the UMBowl once again. The band will play a full set of improvisation based exclusively on themes, ideas, scenes, and concepts presented by fans. Entries will be submitted via text message by those in attendance and the best of the best will be added to the playbook. The selected themes will appear before both the band and audience in real time so split second decisions will be paramount. Expect handoffs and Hail Mary’s as one musical idea is lateraled to another. The Stew Art Event has become a UM staple.

Q4:
Rounding out the festivities will be the Choose Your Own Adventure experience. Those in attendance will be calling the plays, quarterbacking the music to unfold at your will. A series of choices will be presented to the audience on large projection screens and you will decide the set list in real time. Voting will occur via text message and the results will be tallied as they roll in. You’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of UM originals, improvisational styles, and cover songs. You pick the plays and determine the strategy to make it a killer set. So don’t blow it and finish with a bang.